Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter at Elland Road

It is a beautiful day in West Yorkshire but wow, it is cold.

The blue sky and bright sunshine for a lunchtime kick-off is just adding an extra bite to the temperatures.

A good day for the players to move around quickly.

Image source, BBC Sport

Right, 10 minutes until kick-off.

Get your predictions in.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter at Elland Road

Joshua Zirkzee was taken off at half-time against Wolves last Tuesday despite scoring the opener for Manchester United.

The Netherlands forward is back on the bench today.

There is interest from Roma and if an agreement of a loan could be reached with an obligation to buy, surely it would be better for all parties if Zirkzee moved on and Ruben Amorim brought in an experienced player who would actually make a meaningful long-term contribution to his team.

Paul Robinson
Former Leeds and England keeper on BBC Radio 5 Live at Elland Road

This is the day that all Leeds fans wait for. What a day this is. This is going to be a cracker.

It's incredible [to play in]. The rivalry between these two sides. I've played in derbies but the rivalry between these two is pure, pure hatred. It goes back a long way. The two sets of supporters have to be kept away from each other.

There's a lot of these Manchester United players today who will be surprised with what they run out to at kick-off. There is no love lost between these two whatsoever.

Leeds United

Image source, Getty Images

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke speaking to TNT Sports: "We are a newly promoted side so we know against such a big club we are a bit the underdog, but we also know if we are at the top of our game we always have a chance. We want to give ourselves a chance to win as many points as possible."

On line-up changes: "We have four Premier League games within ten days, and especially for us we go over the line in terms of physical output, so it is important that we have to look after the players and use the whole group. I have confidence in the lads on the pitch today so hopefully they can repay my trust."

On whether it was a risk to rest Calvert-Lewin last time out given his recent scoring form: "A risk? No because we are not chasing individual records. We would not benefit if he chases that and then suffers a hamstring injury and is out for several weeks. Sometimes it is a bit easier to score goals later on when you have recovered a bit and the opponent is exhausted. The head needs to win over the heart sometimes."

On the importance of the fans today: "This club was always most successful when the club was united, the team, the supporters all together. We have this unity again. The supporters play a significant role here at Elland Road. We have to find the balance between playing with fire in the heart and cool in the head."

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter at Elland Road

Against Newcastle on Boxing Day, Patrick Dorgu effectively played on the right wing as Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim went with four at the back.

For the visit of Wolves four days later, Dorgu reverted to left wing-back as Amorim switched to three central defenders.

Today it looks like Amorim is sticking with his system but Dorgu will be in the right sided number 10 role.

Effectively, he is one of six defenders to start, with Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte the central midfielders.

Amorim has also lost Chido Obi off the bench and replaced the Denmark Under-21 international forward with another defender in 17-year-old Godwill Kukonki.

Were we talking about Manchester United's tactics earlier?

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter at Elland Road

With Liverpool and Chelsea not playing until later, Manchester United have - another - chance to go fourth with a win today.

Leeds are in better form but it is not lost on manager Daniel Farke that his side's opponents have been given an extra couple of days to prepare given Manchester United drew with Wolves on 30 December.

Leeds' last game was the goalless draw with Liverpool at Anfield on 1 January.

"It is very disappointing that the scheduling of this fixture, at the earliest possible opportunity on a Sunday after playing on the Thursday, has happened," said Farke.

The Red Devils' failure to beat Wolves in midweek drew audible criticism from the supporters inside Old Trafford, with the majority electing to boo off their team at full-time.

"Today, we could win but we had a lack of fluidity, a lack of quality and a lack of creation of chances," conceded head coach Ruben Amorim during his post-match interview.

His side squandered another lead in the 1-1 draw on Tuesday meaning they have dropped 12 points from winning positions this season – they relinquished 11 in the entirety of 2024-25 and 12 represents their joint-most at the halfway point of a Premier League campaign.

Image source, .

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter at Elland Road

It wasn't so much what Ruben Amorim said when he spoke to the media on Friday, more what he didn't.

In refusing to elaborate on a previously stated view that the players he needed to fit his system would be expensive and he probably wouldn't get them, Amorim seemed to be highlighting a divergence of views between him and the club's hierarchy.

This has generated debate around his relationship with director of football Jason Wilcox.

Results dictate narratives at any football club and the failure to beat Wolves on Tuesday just heightened debate.

Victory at Elland Road wouldn't silence it but it would create a renewed sense of belief the demand for European qualification this season can be achieved.

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has refused to clarify a comment he made around his transfer budget, with his cryptic response hinting at possible friction behind the scenes.

Normally so open in his media conferences, Amorim clammed up when he was asked to explain something he said on Christmas Eve about his preferred style of play.

"I have the feeling if we have to play a perfect 3-4-3, we need to spend a lot of money and we need time," he said. "I'm starting to understand that is not going to happen. So, maybe I have to adapt."

Amorim subsequently shifted to a four at the back formation for the 1-0 win against Newcastle on 26 December, before reverting to five at the back when United were held to a draw by bottom side Wolves four days later.

On 23 December, the day before Amorim's comment, United officials privately accepted their pursuit of Bournemouth's £65m attacker Antoine Semenyo was destined to end in failure, although they stressed the intention had never been to use the 25-year-old as a wing-back.

Speaking to journalists before his side's Premier League trip to Leeds on Sunday, Amorim was asked to explain why he did not know the position around recruitment when he joined United from Sporting in November 2024.

"I don't want to talk about that," he said. "I just focus on the Leeds game."

Amorim then said he did not regret his comments prior to the Newcastle match before being asked again, by the same journalist, if something had changed in relation to the transfer budget. Once more, he replied: "I don't want to talk about that."

Then, after a brief pause, and after the United media official sitting next to Amorim at the press conference had begun to say who would ask the next question, the Portuguese added: "But you are very smart, so..."

There has been no clarification over what Amorim meant but an obvious conclusion would be that the journalist could work it out for himself, and that it related to the subject matter he had been discussing.

United have repeatedly stressed they would only make signings in January if they fit their long-term template.

Speaking after the Newcastle game, Amorim said he sometimes clashed with the club over targets. One of those is understood to be the decision to sign Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens on transfer deadline day rather than Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez, who was the coach's preferred target.

Amorim said after the Newcastle game it was important the coach's voice was listened to because he understood the qualities needed to play in his team.

Image source, Getty

Manchester United

Image source, Getty Images

Ruben Amorim has just spoken to TNT Sports before kick-off.

On his team selection: "It's trying to put the team comfortable to win the game. We don't have a lot of options but we are ready to be competitive".

On the draw against Wolves: "If you see the game we have opportunities to win the game. We had chances but when you lose so many creative players you're going to have problems. New week, new game, new opponent."

On the rivalry with Leeds: "Everyone in the club talks about that but I need to focus on what I can help the players with inside the pitch. It's healthy to have this type of environment in football."

There were wins for Brighton, Arsenal, Aston Villa and - finally - Wolves on Saturday.

In terms of today's early game, a win for Manchester United will see Ruben Amorim's side climb into fourth, while victory for Leeds would see them leapfrog Bournemouth and into 15th - 10 points from the relegation zone.

Image source, .

Chris Sutton

I am loving Daniel Farke's Leeds United more and more, every passing week. They showed incredible guts to go to Anfield on Thursday and get a point and they almost took all three.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin will start this game after being rested until the last 20 minutes against Liverpool and he can cause Manchester United all sorts of problems.

Seeing Calvert-Lewin start among the substitutes raised a few eyebrows because of the run of scoring he is on, but that is the difficulty managers have at this time of year when games come thick and fast.

I know I go against Manchester United a lot with my predictions but I am still waiting for them to prove me wrong.

They have done all right recently, but nothing more. They have only lost two of their past 13 games, which is decent, but they have drawn five times in that run and, when I watch them, they are just not very exciting.

In fact, they are dull. Their fans used to sing "glory glory Man United" but now they are more likely to sing "boring boring Man United", when I expected a bit more from them this season.

You certainly wouldn't accuse Leeds United of being boring at the moment.

Maybe the way they will come at Manchester United will suit the visitors, but Ruben Amorim's side seem to lack leadership when Bruno Fernandes is missing and I am going to back Leeds United instead.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter at Elland Road

This is one of the fiercest rivalries in English football - but it tends not to be thought of in that way because Leeds and Manchester United have not met each other that often over the past 20 years or so.

For Daniel Farke and Ruben Amorim, it is their first experience of this Roses fixture.

Farke has been told what the Leeds fans think about it.

"This fixture against Manchester United is more than a game," he said.

"We are all fully aware of what this means to our supporters."

Image source, BBC Sport

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Chief Football News Reporter

In his best-selling 'Managing My Life' autobiography, Sir Alex Ferguson reflected on his feelings about a trip to Elland Road.

"The crowd invariably give us the impression that a lynching would be too good for us," he said.

After a typically fraught League Cup victory there in 2011, Ferguson offered this observation too: "I have always said Liverpool-Manchester United games are fierce in many aspects. But it never reaches the levels of Leeds United. Never."

Leeds have already hosted a couple of historic rivals in December, beating Chelsea 3-1 at home and producing an epic fightback to snatch a point in a 3-3 draw against Liverpool.

But a visit from Manchester United is something else.

"I have a decorating firm and for 40 years we have had the motto that we will not use red paint," said lifelong Leeds fan Gary Edwards.

"We will paint over red free of charge. It's still going to this day. It's on all the business cards and letterheads."

Image source, Getty Images

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport

The rivalry between Lancashire and Yorkshire dates back centuries and this fixture marks 100 years, three months and two days since the first top-flight meeting between these sides.

Leeds registered a 2-0 victory at Elland Road that day in October 1925 and the result helped the Yorkshire club avoid relegation from the old First Division by a single point – a good omen perhaps if they can replicate that result on Sunday. But in recent history this fierce cross-Pennine derby has been largely one-sided.

Leeds have recorded one top-flight victory over Manchester United in their past 19 attempts (D6, L12) and have defeated their bitter foes only five times in 34 league and cup meetings since the Premier League's inception in 1992 (D9, L20). Four of those victories were at home and the other came in the FA Cup at Old Trafford nearly 16 years ago.

Leeds have lost their past two home clashes with the Red Devils but have never suffered three straight defeats to their rivals at Elland Road.

Image source, Getty

It's been a few years since Leeds United 'welcomed' Manchester United to Elland Road in the Premier League.

In fact, Daniel Farke's side have hosted their bitter rivals just four times in the last 22 years.

But make no mistake, this is one of English football's fiercest rivalries.